Located close to the Fishing Branch River at the foot of Bear Cave Mountain, this wilderness camp has been specially constructed for bear watching.
Due to the conditions imposed by the park and ecological reserve in which the camp is located, its footprint is small and the infrastructure is compact in comparison to many other operations of this nature. Four separate timber cabins – all of which are extremely well-insulated and heated by wood-burning stoves – are sited around a central wooden deck.
One building houses the communal kitchen-dining room, large enough to comfortably hold a group of four people plus guide; it also has a heated shower room. Two separate cabins with individual beds provide accommodation for four guests, and are fully equipped with mattresses, sheets, duvets and pillows. A fourth cabin houses the guide and a store of survival equipment, as well as a bear-proof cache for food. Toilet facilities consist of an outhouse with a long-drop toilet that is cleaned and limed daily; there is no running water other than the hot shower and hot water for washing dishes.
There are three different sites for viewing bears: one is just 30 metres from the camp i.e. close enough to pop back in order to warm up if you get cold; a second site is just five minutes walk downstream on the same side of the river. You reach the third site by crossing the river (rubber waders are provided) near the camp and walking some 500 metres down the opposite bank. All viewing is done from ground level. The bears are habituated to people and virtually ignore your presence to concentrate on their fishing. At times they pass heart-stoppingly close as they get on with their everyday lives.
Bear Cave Mountain Camp is around two hours flight by helicopter north of Dawson City.
Each autumn grizzly bears arrive en masse at Bear Cave Mountain, where thermal springs percolate through the limestone, warming the river so it flows all year. The result is an incredible spectacle as up to 50 brown bears gather to feast on salmon making their way up river. Find out more about Yukon’s Ice Bears
This is the territory of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, who know the Fishing Branch river as Ni’iinlii Njik: 'the place where salmon spawn'. For them this is a sacred place, and in 1999, they established the 6,500 square kilometre territorial park to protect the river, which now attracts huge numbers of grizzly bears Find Out More about {acc:title}
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